News

Serious sex offender jailed for 10 years traced by shoe print and DNA

Published

8 years ago

March 27, 2017

Tom Sinclair

Andrew Edwin Check: A footprint contributed to his arrest

A SHOE print, DNA and traditional policing helped Dyfed-Powys Police track down a dangerous offender who committed a serious sexual assault in Tenby.

In the early hours of Monday, January 9, Andrew Edwin Check, aged 30, climbed through a window of a house, found the victim in her bed and subjected her to a serious sexual assault whilst in possession of a knife.

Today (Mar 27) he was sentenced for 10 years after admitting two counts of assault by penetration. He will be on licence after his eventual release until 2034 after a judge ruled he was a dangerous offender as defined by law.

Nicola Powell, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court how the woman woke in the middle of the night to find Check standing over her in her bedroom.

He was wearing black gloves and holding a knife.

Check, a stranger to the woman, put his hands over her mouth to prevent her from screaming and later placed a pillow over her face.

Miss Powell said his victim feared she was going to be raped and thought that he was carrying out a scene he had seen in a pornographic film. But she maintained sufficient presence of mind to eventually talk him out of continuing the attack.

In a victim impact statement she said she now suffered from nightmares, anxiety and panic attacks

“I am unable to sleep and I don’t know how and when I will recover my life again,” she added.

Check’s barrister, Catherine Richards, said he now realised he had been addicted to adult pornography.

Judge Keith Thomas said Check should be viewed as a dangerous offender and, as such, would not be released from jail until he was no longer a threat to society.

He told Check: “Such an offence rightly frightens and horrifies people in equal measure.

“You carried out the attack in a callous and determined way.”

During the investigation, a footwear mark was recovered by Crime Scene Investigators, which was believed to belong to the offender.

Using specialist technology, a national database and the eye of the force’s footwear specialist, the type of footwear was identified as a particular type of Fred Perry trainer.

This information was passed on to officers undertaking house to house enquiries in Tenby and helped identify Check as a suspect.

DNA evidence of the victim was later found on a glove located in the home of Check.

This evidence proved conclusively that Check was responsible for the crime and led to him submitting a guilty plea at Swansea Crown Court.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Ifan Charles said: “This was a particularly disturbing incident and I am pleased to see justice served today for the victim and the community of Tenby with the sentencing of Andrew Edwin Check.

“There is no doubt that the specialist work of the Scientific Support Unit coupled with the vigilance of officers during their local enquiries led to Check being identified, arrested, charged and convicted.

Footprint: A picture from the police’s evidence

“I must also thank the victim of this horrible crime for her bravery during the investigation. Despite going through a most distressing experience she remained composed, provided police with a detailed description of the offender, vital information of the incident and followed advice on preserving evidence, which assisted greatly in the investigation to catch her attacker.”

Nicola Powell, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “The evidence obtained and support of the victim meant the CPS could advise on charges at an early stage. It also meant that we had a strong case which resulted in a guilty plea. What happened to the victim was truly frightening, and the guilty plea removed the need for her to relive the incident at Court. Her cooperation throughout this process has led to Andrew Check being brought to justice.”

After receiving a report of the incident, CSI attended and worked through the night capturing potential evidence from the scene. They recovered a footwear print from the scene and processed the image allowing it to be analysed by the force’s footwear specialist back at police Headquarters.

Dyfed-Powys Police uses the latest advancements in footwear identification, including footwear scanning equipment, access to a national databased containing almost 38,000 images of different classifications of footwear prints and providing appropriate training and qualifications for the specialist role to be performed.

Footwear Officer, Adele Benjafield, said: “The evidential value of footwear is becoming more recognised. Its value is on a par with finger prints and DNA samples and scans of footwear are routinely taken of people who come through our custody suites.

“In this investigation, we were fortunate to retrieve footwear prints from the scene, which is down to the weather conditions that night and the fact that the victim had not touched or moved anything prior to CSI attending.”

Adele spent several hours scanning the database searching for a pattern match. She found a shoe that matched the various elements of the pattern and it was a particular design of Fred Perry trainer.

Database: The police searched for a hit

“I urge officers not to become transfixed on the brand of shoe normally, as it’s the pattern of the sole that is important, however the brand proved crucial in this investigation,” she said.

Officers took the footwear analysis work on board and during local enquiries spotted a pair of Fred Perry trainers matching the description. While this turned out not to be the actual pair of shoes worn during the attack, it provided a substantial link to the suspect. He was arrested soon after.

She said: “When I found out the footwear analysis had provided a link to the suspect my first reaction was feeling pleased that the work I’d carried out had led to this dangerous man being located. I then felt impressed that the police officers making local enquiries had understood the importance of the footwear analysis. The science is only as good as the humans using it. I did the work to identify the footwear, but if officers had not taken that on board and used the information they had, it would not have been worth anything.”

Another key piece of evidence in the prosecution case was the finding of the victim’s DNA on a black glove found at the suspect’s home. DNA-17 – the latest DNA profiling methodology – was used.

Assistant Director of Scientific Support, Glan Thomas, said: “We use the latest technology and methods to retrieve DNA from pieces of evidence and scenes of crime. DNA-17 methodology was used in this investigation and we were able to retrieve the victim’s DNA from a black glove found at the suspect’s home, which positively linked him to the attack.

“I’m pleased the Scientific Support Unit was able to play such a pivotal role in helping bring Check to justice. We have a team of highly-skilled, experienced specialists who work alongside hard-working and effective detectives. Solving a crime such as this and preventing anyone else from being harmed is what this job is all about.”

News

Local MP’s family avoids farm tax bombshell

Published

6 hours ago

November 29, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE FAMILY of Mid & South Pembrokeshire MP, Henry Tufnell, took steps to avoid a potential tax liability weeks before Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced her controversial tax changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR). The timing has sparked questions about whether Mr Tufnell, a backbench MP, had prior knowledge of the changes—though his spokesperson firmly denies it.

“As has been widely reported, it would seem that even Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for DEFRA, was not aware of the specific changes to APR and Business Property Relief (BPR) before the Budget was announced,” the spokesperson told The Pembrokeshire Herald. “It would, therefore, be implausible to suggest that Henry…would have this kind of knowledge prior to the Chancellor’s Budget announcements before they were made public.”

Avoiding the new tax by coincidence

Around three weeks before the announcement, Mr Tufnell’s millionaire parents implemented financial measures to shield their 2,000-acre Cotswolds estate from the tax changes. While such tax avoidance is perfectly legal, critics have called the optics “spectacularly unfortunate.”

Where the money is

The average Welsh family farm earns less than £45k a year, with most of its value tied up in land—an asset that can only be realized by selling it, often at the cost of the farm’s viability. However, the Tufnells are far removed from this scenario. The family estate, owned by Mark Tufnell, includes an entire village of tenants, and Jane Tufnell, Henry’s mother, cofounded a major investment management company with over £20bn in client investments.

Avoid tax, says Pembrokeshire MP

When asked for comment, Mr Tufnell’s spokesperson encouraged Pembrokeshire farmers to follow suit in seeking professional advice to manage potential tax burdens. “The actions taken by Henry’s parents were based on professional advice… This is something every farmer in Pembrokeshire should consider in light of the Chancellor’s recent announcements.”

This statement has fueled criticism that those who stand to benefit most from the new tax policy are not small family farms but the wealthiest landowners employing tax advisers to exploit legal loopholes.

Policy must be scrapped

Welsh Parliament Member Samuel Kurtz slammed the policy, calling it devastating for small, family-run farms. “Labour must now do the right thing: scrap this policy. It’s evident that it cannot, and will not, work,” he said, echoing concerns from tax specialist Dan Neidle that the policy disproportionately impacts farmers while sparing tax avoiders.

As public outrage continues to mount, questions remain about the fairness of the tax and its potential repercussions for Wales’ hard-working farming families.

News

Local nurses shine at national awards

Published

11 hours ago

November 29, 2024

Tom Sinclair

IT WAS another night of success for Hywel Dda University Health Board’s nursing team with two winners and one runner up at this year’s Royal College of Nurses (RCN) Wales Nurse of the Year Awards.

The prestigious annual awards took place in Cardiff on Thursday (Nov 21) to celebrate the innovation and excellence in practice, acknowledging the outstanding efforts, commitment and achievements of our nursing community across Wales.

Many congratulations go to Claire Hurlin, Strategic Head of Community and Chronic Conditions Management, who won the Lifetime Achievement Award and Donna Major, Senior Ward Sister, winner of the Registered Nurse (Adult) Award. Bianca Oakley, Lead Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Cardigan Integrated Care Centre, was awarded runner up in the Chief Nursing Officer for Wales Award.

Sharon Daniel, Interim Director of Nursing, Quality and Patient Experience at the health board said: “I’m delighted and very proud that our nurses in Hywel Dda have been recognised again in this annual event. The awards provide a great opportunity for nurses, students, support workers and midwives to showcase the difference they make to the lives of people we care for. Congratulations to you all.”

Claire Hurlin, Strategic Head of Community and Chronic Conditions Management won the Lifetime Achievement Award for her work to construct the trial of an asthma interface nurse, linking together pharma, primary care and specialist difficult asthma care. As a result, the team has expanded, resulting in more patients receiving specialist treatments.

She commented: “It is a real privilege to accept this award. I am grateful to be in a profession that I am passionate about and had the opportunity to work with so many nurses and health care professionals to make a difference.”

Donna Major, Senior Ward Sister, winner of the Registered Nurse (Adult) Award for her work to improve the care of frailty and dementia patients. She explored innovative ways of improving safety and outcomes for patients on the frailty ward, which included milkshake rounds, hydration, snack self-service, gardening, book and luncheon club. She also was pivotal in establishing the Frailty Assessment Unit and ‘Art in Health’ weekly activities for inpatients living with dementia in Glangwili Hospital.

She commented: “I was very shocked and delighted to receive this award and it was a wonderful, very inspiring evening highlighting our fantastic Welsh nursing workforce and the positive impact they have on patient care everyday.”

Bianca Oakley, Lead Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Cardigan Integrated Care Centre, was awarded runner up in the Chief Nursing Officer for Wales Award for her work developing a Community Same Day Urgent Care Service. This has helped give patients access to care closer to home and reduced pressures on general hospital sites. She is also actively involved in research such as point-of-care testing in remote areas to improve and enable timely safe care to be delivered to patients, closer to their homes.

She added “It was a great privilege to be awarded runner up for the second year running in these awards. I am incredibly proud of our team in Ceredigion’s Same Day Urgent Care and Outreach service who have worked tirelessly over the last three years to provide advanced care closer to home. Being nominated was only possible because of their hard work and dedication.”

For more information about the winners and finalists, visit: Nurse of the Year Award Winners 2024 | Wales | Royal College of Nursing

Crime

Police appeal for information after hate incident in Clynderwen

Published

11 hours ago

November 29, 2024

Tom Sinclair

DYFED-POWYS POLICE is investigating a hate incident in the Clynderwen area after graffiti was sprayed on the home of a victim, causing distress to the occupants.

The incident occurred on Sunday, September 8, at around 12:40am. Despite extensive enquiries, investigating officers are appealing for public assistance in identifying the individual pictured who may hold vital information.

If you have any information that could assist in the investigation, please contact Dyfed-Powys Police through the following channels:

Online: Submit information
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 101

Alternatively, you can provide information anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or visiting crimestoppers-uk.org.